Several blogs on this platform discuss the role of modest changes in diet, physical activity, weight, and the benefit of CGM for achieving good glucose levels. These represent the foundation upon which an optimal regimen can be built, and like any foundation, it needs to be firm. Other blogs discuss specific glucose lowering drugs. This blog provides an overview of all the drugs that are currently approved for glucose lowering in Canada.
Nine classes or categories of drugs are currently approved in Canada for lowering glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Of these, only insulin is approved for type 1 diabetes.
The table and figure summarize these drug classes and show the organs that they affect the most. There are clearly many other effects that cannot be captured in a short piece such as this. Nevertheless, thinking about the drugs in this way can help understand the basis for combining different classes of drugs.
Click Here to Open the Table: Classes of Glucose Lowering Drugs
Figure: Main Sites of Action of Glucose Lowering Drugs
About the author
Hertzel Gerstein
Hertzel is an endocrinologist and professor at McMaster University who is in high demand as a speaker, advocate, and educator on diabetes-related topics. His research focuses on using large, international randomized trials to identify and test new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes, reducing serious health outcomes like strokes and death, and achieving type 2 diabetes remissions.
articles
How Well Will a Particular Drug Work for You?
Before most new drugs are approved by governments for the treatment of diabetes (or any disease for that matter) they need to be tested in large numbers of patients within randomized controlled trials. For diabetes, these trials compare the effect of taking these drugs versus a placebo or an alternative drug on glucose levels, hypoglycemic...
articles
Why Blood Sugar Control Can Be Different for Males and Females
Differences exist in how the male and female body controls blood sugar levels. These differences are present in everyone, but they’re especially important to understand for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). These differences can affect how likely someone is to develop T2D and how well their treatments work. Generally, females are somewhat less likely...
articles
Why is an A1c Level So Important?
According to the clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetes, having a glycosylated haemoglobin (A1c) level done every three months is an important part of managing diabetes. For most individuals, an A1c is measured every 3 months to ensure glycemic goals are met, but it can be measured every 6 months during periods of...